Venus Williams, days after becoming the oldest player to win a WTA Tour singles match in 21 years, lost in the second round of the Mubadala Citi DC Open on Thursday in Washington.
The 45-year-old star fell 6-2, 6-2 to fifth-seeded Magdalena Frech of Poland.
Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, was competing on tour this week for the first time since March 2024. She gave herself chances against Frech but lost all five of her break-point opportunities.
Joining Frech in the quarterfinals is Canada’s Leylah Fernandez, who upset top-seeded Jessica Pegula of the United States 6-3, 1-6, 7-5. Both players are former U.S. Open finalists.
Great Britain’s Emma Raducanu defeated Japan’s Naomi Osaka 6-4, 6-2 in a clash of former U.S. Open winners. Osaka put just 46 percent of her first serves in play and committed seven double faults to Raducanu’s one.
In a matchup of U.S. players, Taylor Townsend downed sixth-seeded Sofia Kenin 6-3, 6-0.
Livesport Prague Open
Top-seeded Linda Noskova prevailed in a matchup of Czech Republic players, topping Katerina Siniakova 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 in the quarterfinals at Prague.
Both players logged 10 double faults and just two aces, but Noskova proved better with her second serve, winning 49 percent of her points to Siniakova’s 30 percent.
The day’s other winners were also from the host nation. Fifth-seeded Marie Bouzkova outlasted ninth-seeded Ann Li of the United States 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, and Tereza Valentova routed France’s Jessika Ponchet 6-2, 6-0.
In the last quarterfinal, fourth-seeded Xinyu Wang led the Czech Republic’s Sara Bejlek 6-4 when play was halted after the first set due to darkness.
–Field Level Media
